Post Tagged with: "Google"

Watch this: Google CEO Larry Page discusses ‘big bets’ on future technologies

larry page charlie rose

Google CEO Larry Page has been on a bit of a tear lately, showing up in the US and England to discuss both the company’s future and the challenges it’s currently facing. In a 40-minute interview with Charlie Rose that aired on May 21st, Page covers a lot of ground, touching on the rise of Google Chrome, driverless cars, and his company’s recent decision to provide office space to Cornell University in order to incubate its nascent high-tech campus. Later, Page discusses his company’s disagreement with Facebook over contact portability, saying that users “don’t understand” that they can’t bring their Facebook contacts to Gmail. He goes on to challenge Facebook’s justification for the practice, saying “they claim it’s a privacy…

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May 23, 2012 0 comments Read More

Google closes Motorola acquisition

In line with earlier reports, Google on Tuesday finalized its acquisition of Motorola Mobility. The $ 12.5 billion merger was approved by regulators in China on Monday after having been given the green light by the United States Department of Justice this past February. Chinese regulators did stipulate terms for its approval, however, namely that Google must continue to make Android open-source and freely available. Former Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha has stepped down and Google’s Dennis Woodside will replace him as chief executive. “I’m excited to announce today that our Motorola Mobility deal has closed,” Google CEO Larry Page wrote in a letter published on Google’s blog. “Motorola is a great American tech company that has driven the mobile revolution, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation, including the creation of the first cell phone. We all remember Motorola’s StarTAC, which at the time seemed tiny and showed the real potential of these devices. And as a company who made a big, early bet on Android, Motorola has become an incredibly valuable partner to Google.” An unconfirmed report on Monday claimed that the merger will result in layoffs at Motorola.

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BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

May 22, 2012 0 comments Read More

Google completes acquisition of Motorola Mobility, CEO Sanjay Jha replaced by Dennis Woodside

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Completing a nine-month journey through regulatory approvals on multiple continents, Google has closed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility today. The move comes just days after Google cleared the last major hurdle — approval in China, where Motorola has had a particularly strong presence for many years — and means that the Chicago-area phone maker will stop trading on the New York Stock Exchange effective immediately. As reported in February, CEO Sanjay Jha has stepped down and will be replaced by Google’s Dennis Woodside.

Motorola’s ultimate fate remains unclear. Amidst rumors of major layoffs, we still don’t know whether Google really intends to get into the notoriously brutal handset hardware business — and if it does, whether…

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May 22, 2012 0 comments Read More

Motorola layoffs imminent after Google buyout, report claims

Following China’s recent regulatory approval, Google’s $ 12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility is expected to close in the next two days. Motorola employees may not be celebrating, however. TechCrunch reported on Monday that layoffs will be hitting the manufacturer imminently. When Google purchased DoubleClick, the company had 1,600 employees, 40% of that which were laid off following the buyout. At the time Google’s acquisition was announced, Motorola Mobility had 19,000 employees. The struggling vendor has already laid off 800 employees as part of a restructuring plan, and now it looks like the company may be forced to go through another round of job cuts.

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BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

May 21, 2012 0 comments Read More

Europe gives Google one last chance to end antitrust investigation

European Union antitrust regulators launched an investigation into Google’s search practices in November 2010 after rivals accused the company of promoting its own services ahead of theirs. EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia on Monday said regulators and Google were not looking at a lengthy proceeding, and if the Internet giant could meet certain demands, the antitrust investigation could be brought to a close, Reuters reported. “Google has repeatedly expressed to me its willingness to discuss any concerns that the Commission might have without having to engage in adversarial proceedings, this is why today I’m giving Google an opportunity to offer remedies to address concerns that we have identified,” Almunia said, adding that he wanted a proposal from Google “in a matter of weeks”. The Commission can fine companies up to 10% of their global turnover for breaching EU rules and in the past has fined both Microsoft and Intel, among others.

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BGR: The Three Biggest Letters In Tech

May 21, 2012 0 comments Read More

EU finds four potential antitrust offenses in Google search, prefers to resolve them amicably

After 18 months of investigation into Google’s search practices, the European Commission has found four particular areas of concern where the search engine giant may be exploiting its market dominance to the detriment of competition. Those have been set out by Joaquín Almunia, EC Vice President responsible for Competition Policy, who has also stressed the Commission’s desire to get them settled “without having to engage in adversarial proceedings.” Citing Google’s continued willingness to work through any issues identified by the European regulator, Almunia expresses hope that remedies to the problematic aspects of Google’s business practices can be negotiated swiftly and amicably.

The investigation was started in November 2010,…

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May 21, 2012 0 comments Read More

Unofficial concept video demonstrates some cool new ideas for Google Calendar, Contacts, and Maps

Last year’s rollout of a refreshed UI across Google’s essential suite of web apps proved that the company isn’t afraid to experiment with design. Now, a group of Russian designers have offered up a video containing some additional changes they’d like to see at some point in the future. Titled “Google New Features,” at first glance the YouTube clip almost looks like it came directly from the folks in Mountain View, focusing on usability upgrades to Calendar, Maps, and Contacts. Sadly, the maligned Google Reader layout doesn’t seem to be on the design firm’s radar.

The concept video teases some intriguing updates to Calendar, including the ability to create events spanning multiple days from the default view, and a feature that auto…

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May 21, 2012 0 comments Read More

Google will keep Android free and open for at least five years

nexus s and galaxy s ii_1020

According to the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and the Associated Press, Google had to agree to keep Android free and available for anyone to use for at least the next five years in order to gain China’s approval to purchase Motorola Mobility. There’s no more information given on the exact reason for this request, but it seems likely that it was included to allay fears that Google would give Motorola preferential treatment compared to other Android manufacturers. This stipulation removes the possibility of Google closing off Android to other OEMs — though its worth noting that Google has never given any indication that it was considering such a move.

Of course, Android isn’t technically the property of Google — it was created and…

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May 19, 2012 0 comments Read More

Google acquires Motorola Mobility: the full story

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Google’s surprise decision to purchase Motorola Mobility last year has since cleared regulatory hurdles in the US and abroad, and the deal is expected to close soon. As part of the acquisition, Google will take on Motorola’s deep patent portfolio and manufacturing expertise — a move that seems to have raised eyebrows from Google’s other hardware partners. Catch up on the full story below.

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May 19, 2012 0 comments Read More

Good deal: $25 Google Wallet credit with every LG Optimus Elite from Virgin Mobile

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While getting cash back when you buy a new phone might not be such a new idea, Virgin Mobile’s delivering it in a novel way. With every Optimus Elite purchased between now and July 18th you’ll receive $ 25 Google Wallet credit, giving you a taste of how contactless payment works with your new device. Strangely, the credit is delivered in stages — you’ll get $ 10 upfront, followed by another $ 15 three weeks after.

The device itself is nothing to write home about, but sold remarkably well when it was up for pre-order. It’s powered by a single-core 800MHz processor with 512MB RAM and 4GB storage. It also has a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 display, and runs Android 2.3.7 which looks fairly close to a stock skin. However, if you’re looking for a way to…

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May 18, 2012 0 comments Read More

Post Tagged with: "Google"

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